Pre-Pharmacy Studies

Whether they're dispensing medicine or expert advice, pharmacists make their communities a healthier, happier place to live.

While you might think of pharmacists as the white-coated professionals at your neighborhood drugstore, pharmacy has become a much broader field, with a wide range of career paths. Over the past few decades, pharmaceutical care has been evolving by leaps and bounds. Accordingly, it’s become a key pillar in the broader field of health and wellness. Pharmacists work in hospitals and clinics, in government offices, in research laboratories, in advocacy organizations, and more. They’re also taking on leadership roles in system management and public health policy, and advocating for improvements in preventative medicine.

The Pre-Pharmacy track at Oglethorpe is designed to prepare students for pharmacy school; it’s a foundational selection of courses that fulfill eligibility requirements for pharmacy school admission and provide a strong knowledge base for entering the field.

Atlanta is home to major hospitals and healthcare networks, the high-profile Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and hundreds of local pharmacies. Competitive internships abound, making Atlanta an ideal place to lay the groundwork for a career in pharmaceutical care.

You’ve got a lot of studying ahead; make sure you have an unshakeable foundation in core subjects, no matter how challenging. Small, student-focused classes and excellent faculty mentorship give every Oglethorpe student a jumpstart in their field.

Learn by observing expert professionals on the job. Opportunities abound for internships and shadowing at retail pharmacies, clinics, and hospitals. Oglethorpe Pre-Pharmacy students frequently complete internships at high-volume retail pharmacies including CVS, Rite Aid, and Walgreens.

As a pharmacist, you can expect a secure, stable, and lucrative career. In 2013, pharmacists dispensed more than 4 billion prescriptions across the United States. As an aging population places growing demand on the healthcare industry, the career outlook for pharmacists remains strong.

Recent Oglethorpe alumni are attending pharmacy school at institutions like Mercer University, University of Georgia, and South College-Tennessee .